Hostage-takers release all 17 kids; 57 still held in Agusan

All 17 children who were among the 75 people held in Prosperidad town in Agusan del Sur province have already been released by the hostage-takers, Chief Superintendent Lino de Guzman Calingasan, head of the Philippine National Police in the Caraga Region, said Thursday evening. Calingasan said the children, with an old woman, were released to authorities at about 4 p.m., Thursday, or about eight hours after 15 gunmen - led by a former member of the Citizens Auxiliary Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu) identified as Ondo Perez - attacked the Maitum Elementary School and took the victims hostage in Sitio Maitum, Barangay San Martin.

“Nakikipag-communicate naman sila sa ating negotiator. Nagkakaroon naman ng positive development kaya nagkaroon na ng initial release," said Calingasan in an interview with GMANews.TV. (The hostage-takers are communicating with our negotiator. There's positive development thus there was initial release of hostages.) The remaining 57 hostages, meanwhile, were taken to a house in Sitio Maitum, Calingasan said. The motive of the crime remains unclear, according to the police officer. But in a separate television interview on Thursday, Senior Superintendent Nestor Fajura, Caraga region police operations chief, said the group held the victims to prevent the arrest of Perez's group being linked to the massacre of the family of a certain Jun Tubay last February. Fajura said Tubay, also a resident of Prosperidad town, and the group were allegedly engaged “in some sort of a clan war." Calingasan, however, belied Fajura's claim, saying authorities have yet to see the connection between the hostage-taking and the alleged massacre. "Hindi pa namin nakikita ang connection (We haven't seen the connection)," Calingasan told GMANews.TV , stressing that his statement on the incident was the official one.
Calingasan was also quick to dismiss reports that the incident was election-related. The Ondo Perez group is an independent armed group composed of ex-Cafgu members, according to the police officer. He said joint elements from the Agusan Del Sur PNP and Special Action Force have been sent to the area to work for the immediate release of the hostages. “Very optimistic po kami at umaasa po kami na ito ay mare-resolve as soon as possible time (We are optimistic that this would be resolved the soonest time)," said Calingasan. Negotiations on the hostage crisis are ongoing as of posting time. Fajura said among the initial demands of the hostage-takers are the withdrawal of cases against them; the arrest of Tubay; media presence; and the halting of government operations against them. “We know that these demands, especially the withdrawal of cases is really hard to negotiate so we are trying to negotiate… We will try to work out on the release of hostages," Fajura said. - AIE BALAGTAS SEE, GMANews.TV